college, clothes, and everything else

Oh dear, it has been a long, long time since I last posted. Midterm blues and spring break huzzahs caught up with me, and now that things are winding down (and right into finals week) I thought it would be a good idea to share some things about myself! Because, um, clearly I like to talk or I wouldn’t have a blog.

I am a freshman at Bryn Mawr College and am currently designing my own major around international politics (BORING, you all say, WE DO NOT CARE!). I have pink hair and purple eyeshadow. Winter has left me with a body reminiscent of uncooked tofu (TMI, you all say, WHY MUST YOU HURT US SO) so I am trying to eat healthily and go to the gym often. I like to shop and I have a lot of makeup that I don’t really wear very often, and if I could, I would live off of sandwiches.

I’m going to talk about choosing your college! Everyone, put your hands together in the least sarcastic way possible!

No, seriously. Do it or I’ll cut you.

Ha ha. Just joking.

Okay, now that you’re all gone, I’m going to actually start talking about colleges. Because college is cool, kids. And no, I didn’t write that just because it’s alliterative.

But which college? If you’re anything like my high school friends, you’ll have applied to the top twenty colleges on Forbes list and based your entire self-worth on the results, you’ll have a truly impressive list of extracurriculars that supposedly make you seem like less of a cardboard cutout of a human being, and you’ll have no idea what’s going to happen next. If you’re not like my friends, you’ll still have no idea what happens next, because all of high school seems like one huge race to get to the finish line and you finally made it.

I got bad news for you, little monsters: the race ain’t over. Finishing the first one just guarantees you entry into the next, so you better pick a good track.

(How much further can I push this metaphor?)

Don't even try it.

Okay, okay. Sheesh.

You’re going to be doing a lot of visits to colleges in the next few months, if you haven’t already started. All of them are going to be good, but good is not good enough – your college has to be AWESOME. It has to make you feel like this:

Look, Simba. Everything the light touches is our kingdom.

That’s it. That’s all you need. You can look at the opportunities you’ll get or the amazing departments they have, or talk to the brilliant people there, but in the end, it all just adds up to this: you need to be excited for college. Because high school is behind you and in front of you is your adult life and you need to want it more than anything.

And finally, I’ll leave you with some pictures I took of Bryn Mawr (please excuse my poor photography):

Sort of a funny follow-up to my post about how we should just love everyone, but that’s what you all love about me: my unpredictablity. Right? Right?

CRICKETS: *chirp*

Ugh, fine, be that way. It’s not like I care. I’m not crying in a corner or anything.

My roommate’s younger brother is staying with us for a few days and I’ve noticed that he’s essentially a distillation of her worst traits, wrapped up in the body of a teenage boy. In other words: the roommate from hell. I’ll avoid going into specifics because, uh, that’s just rude. I’m not the most patient or tolerant of people, so I don’t doubt that some of my ire is my own fault.

Anyway, I don’t like this kid and he gets on my nerves. I can’t exactly kick him out because he’s living with us and half of the room belongs to my roommate. Rather than writing a post about how much I hate him (well, anymore of a post), I decided to come up with a bunch of ways to deal. Hopefully this works on any and all of your unwanted guests!

♥Breathe. And again. Remember that he’s a teenager and he can’t help it. We’ve all been there – cocky, arrogant, and convinced of our inherent superiority. Over time, we are ground down into insignificant nubs aware of their own failings. This is called college. He will get there eventually.

♥Find other places to be. This is better if, like this guest, he’s only going to be staying for a few days. I’ve turned this into an excuse for being social and hanging out with my friends.

♥Ask him to be less of a dick. Probably not in those words. But if it gets to be too bad, talk to him – tell him what’s bothering you, and ask if he can change or compromise. There’s no point to suffering in silence, my little monsters.

♥Take advantage of the quiet moments. He can’t be with you all the time…right? If you’re dealing with a houseguest, this might be a little more problematic.

♥Meditate. Remember: You are a serene, glowing, calm font of calm, glowing serenity. This might sound a lot like the first method. That’s because…it is. Except not, because it’s better! More advanced! You aren’t just breathing, you’re meditating. Why are you meditating? Because you need to get up the nerve for the last method:

♥Tell him to leave. A last resort, one to be used if you genuinely can’t stand your unwelcome guest. Be polite, but be firm. Things to avoid: Telling him how much you can’t stand him, throwing things, screaming, locking him out.

Good luck with all of your unwelcome guests, and wish me luck with mine.

Bryn Mawr, as much as I love it, is full of cynics and skeptics who decry Valentine’s Day for being commercial, made-up, and crass. Which is stupid, and not just because cynicism is so two thousand and late.

I’m not a huge fan of Valentine’s Day. I think it’s commercial, made-up, crass, AND symptomatic of how obsessed our culture is with pairing people up…but I do believe that ideally, no one would need Valentine’s Day ever – we’d all know how much we are loved, and be able to tell everyone else how much we love them.

…yeah. It’s a cute dream.

The truth is that everyone takes everyone for granted. We assume every day that our friends are still our friends, that our lovers still love us, that our parents aren’t kicking us out in the middle of the night. But none of us are mind readers and everyone needs a little reassurance once in a while – so the real purpose of Valentine’s Day should be to tell each other how much we care.

Here’s some pictures of some perfectly platonic* hugs to get you started:

Right now I’m taking Beginner French and I do agree…French is a beautiful language when spoken by natives. Not so much when it’s being slaughtered by a bunch of undergrads.

But Spanish is my first love.

Like a lot of people, I love Pablo Neruda. There’s a weight to Spanish that I feel is missing in French, a sort of sensuality of syllables. A lot of times I say that French might be the language of romance, but Spanish is the language of love. Not to mention sex.

1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before?
Dyed my hair purple. Turned 18.

2. Did you keep your New Year’s Resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
No! I never do. But that doesn’t really stop me from trying, or coming up with new ones! I never learn, I guess. My big one for the year is:♥ Whenever I’m sad, to just stop being sad and start being awesome.
Okay, maybe that’s a quote from Barney Stinson of How I Met Your Mother fame, but it still holds true.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Nope!

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Nope, but 2009 has been the year of celebrity and character deaths. My favorite bands broke up and I get a little mopey about that, but that’s not really the same thing.

5. What countries did you visit?
None! I’m quite boring. But I moved to Philadelphia for college, and have gone to New York and Boston. It’s been exciting, I’ve never been on the East Coast before!

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
A single! No, I’m kidding, I love my roommate, she’s like a perpetual explosion of energy. A jetsetting summer would be ace though.

7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Oh no, I don’t remember anything! I remember my first day at Bryn Mawr and how completely terrified I was, and how extremely determined I was to not show it. (Caroline, Jess, you were and continue to be lifesavers.) I think I’ll always remember Thanksgiving, that was by far the best holiday I’ve had in years. Thanks, guys, for being awesome.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Getting into college! Sometimes I think about making it this far and I get a little dizzy. The only thing that makes me feel better is thinking about how much further I have to go. Honestly, I’m not ready to leave the nice, safe arms of academia. (Oh dear.)

9. What was your biggest failure?
Not updating this blog. No, no. I fell behind on health. I’m super unhealthy and it’s making me really unhappy. I can’t wait to get back to college and start walking again.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
I was super sick for the beginning of the school year. Not fun!

11. What was the best thing someone bought you?
A new life! I had to do so much shopping for college and with everything I bought it really did feel like I was picking things out for a life of my own. Silly!

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Everyone’s!

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
No one’s.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Books, makeup, clothes. Same place it always goes, I’m dreadfully shallow. Not to mention: textbooks eat my soul.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Leaving. Returning.

16. What song will always remind you of 2009?
The cover that Glee did of Don’t Stop Believin’. The pilot for that show aired and the internet exploded (in love or hate, whichever)!

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? The former.
b) fatter or skinner? The former.
c) richer or poorer? The latter. Oh no!

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Writing! Hanging out with the people I love.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Procrastinating. Hanging out with the people I don’t love.

20. How do you plan to spend Christmas?
For 2010? I might spend the winter holiday at Bryn Mawr, I’m not too sure yet. I like being home, but I’m outgrowing the place (literally! there’s no place for me to live here).

21. Did you fall in love in 2009?
No, not really. But it’s kickstarted what will be an amaing 2010, I am super positive.

24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
Nope. I’ve learned how to avoid people who I don’t like, and try to hang out with people I DO like! Life is much more pleasant that way.

25. What was the best book you read?
Oh god, I’ve fallen behind on reading. Hmm. Maybe Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich.

26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Lady Gaga! I’m not too sure if she counts since EVERYONE knows her, but her albums make my head explode with sheer glee. I want to be her one day and assume the title of Queen No Pants!

27. What did you want and get?
Everything, but still not enough. That’s what 2010’s going to be for!

28. What did you want and not get?
Nothing! I’m quite spoiled, haha.

29. What was your favorite film of this year?
Jennifer’s Body. Gross, I know! But it made me laugh and no other movie has been as fun for me.

30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 18 and I had two parties! One at college, where I was showered with candy and went out to dinner with my friends. The other was with a good friend at home, where we and a lot of friends ate some delicious Korean BBQ.

31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Time management for sure!

32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?
Purple. Lots of purple.

33. What kept you sane?
My friends. The internet. Books on people who’re more insane than I am. Certain songs. And a lot of hair dye.

34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Pshh…what a tawdry question. But I’ll answer it anyway. Lady Gaga, who I didn’t really get until I saw the video for Bad Romance – and then I was gone. She is my very favorite celebrity ever!

35. What political issue stirred you the most?
Prop 8 and its fallouts and backlashes. I know, it’s a 2008 issue, but there’ve been lots of things going on this year to do with gay rights.

36. Who do you miss?
Oh god, so many people! Now that we’re in college, all my friends have scattered everywhere. I guess it’s good then that we appreciate the time we have together during vacations.

37. Who was the best new person you met?
Ooh, what a loaded question. All the people I met at Bryn Mawr! They’ve all been uniformly fabulous and amazing.

38. What was the best thing you ate?
This amazing sushi. But Thanksgiving came pretty close. Some of the foods were weird but it was wonderful to eat with my friends instead of the usually awkward affairs that holiday dinners are with my family.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009?
There are other people who are real. Remember that and you’ll never be alone.